Elements of Bhakti in Baul Songs

      Bauls are a group of wandering minstrels and religious singers of Bengal. The Baul tradition constitutes syncretic faith of both Hindu and Islamic practices although not a single Baul practitioner conforms to organized religions. The name Baul indicates a certain sect, a cult, a community, an order of mysticism and a sampraday (tradition). The identity of Bauls is revealed through the Baul songs they sing. The Bauls are therefore called tantric troubadours or divine minstrels in Bengal. None of the Baul practitioners has a definite religion. They claim their religion to be that of humanity as the essence of every religion lies deep within it. Yet they incorporate elements of faith and ideas from Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Hence the characteristic features of Bhakti poetry such as the theme of complete surrender to will of God, love and praise for the Supreme Being, anguish in separation from Him and the final realization of the Divine within oneself are all implicitly and explicitly evident in Baul poetry. 

       Almost all the Bhakti poets believed in surrendering themselves before the Supreme Power for attaining Mukti or Salvation. There are four Yogas or Margas or Paths to reach God and to attain Moksha or Liberation: Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga. Out of the four, Bhakti Yoga is the Path of devotion and selfless love towards God. Worshipping God through singing devotional songs is a significant part of the Bhakti Yoga. In India many Gods such as Krishna, Matangi and Saraswati are seen holding musical instruments. Also Hindu Bhakti poet saints such as Andal, Mirabai and Chaitanya praised and worshipped God through devotional music and dance. This substantiates the importance of worshipping the Divine Being through music. This is a clear evidence of the role of the performing arts in Bhakti cult since ages. Similarly, Bauls also composed songs and sang with the musical instrument, ektara to express their love for God. They thus began using their body and mind to reach out to the Divine. Such beautifully composed songs were orally transmitted generation after generation and compiled and translated by many authors. The philosophical poets such as Kazi Nazrul, Allen Giensberg and Rabindranath Tagore were largely inspired by Baul poems and the Father of Baul Poetry: Lalon Fakir. Unfortunately, most of the songs were not titled and translators consider it disrespectful to title them themselves. Therefore they use the first verse to emphasize a particular Baul poem. Baul songs should be looked at from two dimensions: mortality and immortality. Also these songs not only reflect celestial love but also love for one’s own partner (boshtomi). 

      The etymological details of the name Baul confirms in itself the ecstatic and insane desire of Bauls to search for the Ultimate Truth. The word Baul is derived from the Sanskrit word Batul (air of insanity) and Vyakula (perplexed). Air or Vayu- one of the Panchabutha- is permanent in nature and the source of jiva (life). The element air cannot be seen but felt and becomes one with the person who inhales it. Likewise, the Bauls too appreciate the ineffable mystery of Paramatma (the supreme self) even though He is not physically visible anywhere. When a man becomes insane he withdraws away from the chaotic mortal world and lives in his own world of elation. So as the insane men, Bauls too renounce worldly life and seek happiness by uniting with the Supreme Being. This is akin to the Sufi order (code of laws); Sufi Diwana. The insanity of the Bauls is due to the intoxication of love and faith for Divine. The poem ‘Brothers’, of Panchanam describes the intoxication of Sufi Diwana for the Bauls: 

“With mounting intoxication

  dissolve the habits

   of your settled home

   and take shelter

   in the lord of faith” (55).

     In another poem, ‘All Can See’, a Baul poet Miyajan Fakir exposes the sparkle of love for God in his heart. Here, “fire” is used to symbolize the never ending passion for the Divine. He satirises people for being busy with the material gains and being unable to find the Beloved deep within one’s own heart:  

                  “All can see

 when a forest is on fire

 but none can trace

 the fire in my heart” (96).

    The non-affinity towards any organized religion leads the Bauls to regard their religion to be the expression of their body and mind. They believe everyone is equal in the eyes of God. There is no scripture or holy book for Bauls like other religious traditions. Madan, a Baul poet in his poem ‘The Road to You Is Blocked’ agonizes about the “prophets and teachers” blocking the path towards Eternal Being. He also criticizes religious institutions for not propagating true love and wisdom:

“The road to you is blocked

  by temples and mosques.

  the door of love bears many locks;

   scriptures and beads” (214).

    The Bauls assume that bodyscape (Deho Sadhana) and mindscape (Mana Sadhana) operate together and help make a good soul. Historical evidences prove that Bauls are descendants of the ba’al tradition of Sufism. The search of ba’als to find the Supreme Being (Maner Manus) is in a way similar to the Bauls search for the Ideal Being (Maner Manush). The Bhakti cult particularly Sufism, affirm this quest as an expression of faith and exploration of the Divine or the Beloved. Similarly, Bauls too are on the path of search for the Beloved. The Maner Manush of Bauls is termed Sain (The Lord) and also Murshid- Guru (Preceptor- Teacher). Also Bauls require three mortal Gurus while they live on earth to attain the Immortal Guru: Maner Manush. They are Diksha Guru, Siksha Guru and Bhek Guru. Guru helps the disciple to initiate the path of Dharma and he strengthens him throughout the path giving blessings and appropriate guidance. Selina Thieleman in Baul Philosophy observes: “...guru kripa hi kevalam- the grace of the guru is but everything. Partaking of this utmost grace, even the most intricate tasks cease to be troublesome and turn accomplishable in a straightforward manner” (225).  

     Narayon Das Odhikari in his poem ‘Drive the human-body-motor car’ portrays the necessity of a Guru to control and drive a Baul’s life. The image of a “motor car” is used here to signify the inevitability of spiritual direction for a layman abandoning artha (material gains): “keep alert, o mind, while driving.” The “motor car” could also be symbolic of the tiny human world and one’s manas (mind). One’s manas needs to be carefully driven by a “true guru” towards Dharma so as a driver steering a “motor car” to its destination:

“Be informed of who is your mind-driver

 by the word of a true Guru” (174).

       

     There are constant references to Radha- Krishna, Kali- Shiva, Brahma- Saraswati seen in Baul poetry though the Bauls do not follow an organized religion. The poem ‘Simple Words can Overcome’ draws attention to the equality for all religions. The Bauls assume that the institution of religion is a human construct and every religion has the same goals. Worshipping different God by calling them different names such as “Allah or Jesus, Moses or Kali” is therefore unacceptable to the Bauls: 

“The words may differ-     

  the meaning is precisely the same” (174).

    

    The Bauls totally believe in detachment from hedonistic pleasures and focus on the God within (bhagavata darshan). The Baul gurus do not forbid themselves or others from the institution of marriage. Therefore there are both married and unmarried ascetic souls in the Baul community. The Bauls are profoundly influenced by Tantric philosophy and they accept sexuality as a divine form of religious experience to reach God. At the same time, they do not encourage lechery. 

    The poem ‘Never Plunge’ of the Baul poet Dwija Kailashchandra is a perfect example of the Baul community’s abstinence. Lechery to them is a worldly pleasure while sexuality is sacred bliss. The Bauls are therefore very adamant and consistent about drawing a line between sexuality and lechery. In ‘Never Plunge’ lechery is shown as a hindrance to the path of salvation as “it is a boundless river” (53) of unwanted needs and desires:

                      “Never plunge

                       into the river of lust

                       you will not reach the bank” (53).  

    The Bauls consider the ephemeral body as the temple of God. They hold the view that, “what is not in the earthly body is not in the cosmic universe” (Openshaw 64). Also Baul philosophy believes in the presence of God in the sexual and body fluids. Hence the ritual of maithuna (spiritual marriage) is appreciated by the Bauls. Ma Yoga Sudha comments on the principles of sexuality of the Baul community: “When you are no longer occupied with sex, when it is no longer an obsession, a neurosis, you are wise enough to go into it... it becomes a creative act on your part. Then you are creating something out of this tremendous energy. It is God’s gift” (66). It is quite evident that Bauls think Paramarta can also be attained through such sexual practises. The poetic metaphor of “like water with milk” (164) is often used in many poems to denote the human body as a microcosm of the macrocosm of the Universe. 

    Human beings are made up of both masculine and feminine qualities. The Bauls postulate that there is a feminine aspect in every man and it is required for spiritual enlightenment. Their philosophy of Parakiya (another’s woman) and Svakiya (one’s own) is a manifestation of spiritual consciousness although rooted in hedonistic philosophy. There are three dimensions to the Parakiya- Svakiya philosophy: seeking the parakiya woman not as a mere sexual object but to break away worldly conventions and be one with God; sexual union with parakiya woman to awaken the dormant energy within oneself and thus to unite with God; parakiya woman stimulating the svakiya woman for spiritual growth. Penny Slinger observes this physical union leading to spiritual union as:

“The transformation from the physical to spiritual as aropa, meaning ascension. For the Bauls, the physical world is not something to escape from or void. Through enjoyment and understanding, they seek to transform the world-experience from the gross level to the subtle, from outer to inner, from material to spiritual” (Slinger, Bhattacharyya, and Douglas 158). 

    The poem ‘Indivisible’ plainly portrays the duality in every human being and the transition of the human body from materialism to mysticism. 

“Feminine energy entwined 

 with the spirit of man

 resemble the tuned strings

                  of the lute,

                  wholly indivisible” (104).     

    It depicts the inseparable bond between masculinity and femininity in the human body as the “indivisible” association between “strings” and “lute.” Parakiya- Svakiya philosophy is also connected with Radha- Krishna image. Radha and other Gopikas are considered as parakiya lovers according to Vaishnava Baul cult. The separation between Krishna and Radha as Krishna says Radha is only a parakiya woman to him evokes anger in her. She waits for Krishna’s change of decision and suffers and longs for him. Many Baul mystics assume that suffering is a strategy of God to help bring the human being close to Him for eternal bliss. Penny Slinger states: 

“...separation produces a dynamic state full of anguish and anticipation. The Bauls say that those who suffer wish for God, while those who are contented rest in God” (Slinger, Bhattacharyya, and Douglas 159). 

    The Baul studies focus on the obstacles one face on his way to explore God. Akin to other Bhakti poems, the Baul poems also condemn the material desires of an individual to be the sole cause for not able to reach God. The poem ‘A Man Unknown to Me’of Lalon Fakir examines the invisible distance between God and Devotee. He further explains the dominance of “worldly dreams” (145) over the embrace of God and that leading the devotee to be not able to “recognize Him” (145).

“my eyes blindfolded

by worldly dreams

cannot recognize him,

or understand” (145). 

     Haude Gosain’s poem ‘When the Life’ clearly brings out the strong association between life, mind and eyes:

“When the life,

the mind,

and the eyes 

are in agreement,

---------------------

You can see 

the formless Brahma” (106). 

    Gosain attempts to say that the things one perceives through the eyes are internalised by the mind and are reflected in one’s life through one’s actions. The Baul philosophy accepts that if one’s karma is perfect he can meet “the formless Brahma” (106) - The Creator. In short, panchendriya (five senses) play a substantial role in one’s actions and deeds. It forms a better existence on earth according to one’s Karma. Similarly, Hindu philosophy is of view that Manas (mind) is the master of all senses and it controls the other senses on how they perceive the external objects. “The formless Brahma” (106) could also be the Brahman of Hindu philosophy. T.N Achuta Rao observes that “Manas is the first manifestation of Brahman. Human Mind, the Manas is the crown of Lord’s creation” (55). 

    Bauls are also minstrels of music. The lyrics, music and elegiac tone of the Baul songs show their longing desire to be one with the Supreme and celestial love. The Bauls consider their body to be the temple of the Divine Power. Therefore, they hold the view that it is only through Kaya Sadhan (realization through the body) one can attain God. Briefly, the love for Him can only be expressed through the body gifted by Him to us. Keeping that in mind, Bauls praise and worship Him through their physical body. The well-crafted songs help Bauls create a literary expression for their cult and tradition. The musical instruments used by Bauls are ektara, dotara, khol, khartal and manjira. The Bauls hold the one-stringed musical instrument ektara in the right hand and dance merrily to the Baul songs. They formed a musical tradition of their own drawing inspiration from Sufism and the communal religious chanting of West Bengal. Also Bauls found songs and dance playing a significant role in mystical spirituality. Penny Slinger comments: 

“It seems likely that the Bauls’ whirling dances and musical compositions, especially the melodies came directly from the Sufi tradition” (Slinger, Bhattacharyya, and Douglas 41).  

    The Sufi traditional practises of Sama (praising God) and Dhikr (remembrance of God) are also clearly seen in Baul poetry. The images drawn from music are therefore a recurring device in Baul poetry. In the poem ‘Attested by Your Own Heart’, “the lute” and “the melody” are symbolic images of devotee and the God. The devotee requests God to lead him “the right way.” He is quite aware that without God his efforts would go in vain: 

“The lute could never sing

 on its own

 without you to play it” (240).  

    In an interview given to Hinduism Today, the Baul singer Parvati Baul comments on the significance of singing and dancing in Baul philosophy, “Once you start singing, you abandon yourself in the complete bliss of the moment, you merge with the song, which is a vehicle to reach the Beloved” (Web). 

    Bauls are often looked down by the society for their costumes and begging bowl in hand. They wander and share the seeds of love through their songs. This Madhukari (singing and begging for alms) tradition of Bauls helps soothe the hearts of people and the Kalpavriksha (wish fulfilling divine tree) of their inner souls get bloomed. Only a few are aware of the good intention behind their strict rituals and observances. Their foremost is to forbid themselves from wearing ordinary clothes and choosing guduri (saffron clothes) for a unique identity. This disciplined expression of faith (sadhana) followed by all Bauls seems to be a signifier of the philosophy of harmony. The poem ‘Come If You Wish to Meet’ explores the desire of a young man who “has abandoned his worldly possessions” (85) so that he can become a “novel man” (85).  

     In a nutshell, the Baul philosophy of expression of religion through one’s own physical body bridges the gap between earthly life and spiritual realm. In the words of Selina Thielemann, “The Baul has a strong aversion against institutionalized religion of any kind, and is in constant search of spiritual union with God whom he calls ‘the man of the heart”. The prinicipal instrument to attain to this ultimate goal is song: ‘my songs contain my prayers sings the Baul” (Thielemann 120). Baul poetry is a mixture of elements of Vaishnavism, Tantrism and Sufism. Although there is no deity as such for the Bauls their love for the Supreme Truth has to be appreciated. The Baul poems exploring the themes of Bhakti such as spiritual path leading to the ultimate reality, love for the Beloved, ultimate union with Him are all a testimony to it. 

Bibliography

1. Bhattacharya, Deben. Songs of the Bards of Bengal. New York: Grove Press, 1969. Print. 

2. Knight, Lisa. I. Contradictory Lives: Baul Women in India and Bangladesh. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.

3. Lorea, Carola Erika. "Playing the Football of Love On The Field Of The Body": The Contemporary Repertoire Of Baul Songs." Religion & the Arts 17.4 (2013): 416-451. Academic Search Elite. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. 

4. Openshaw, Jeanne. Seeking Bauls of Bengal. UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print. 

5. Rao, Achuta T.N. Manoniyantran: Vedic Views and Ways of Mind Control. New Delhi: Gyan Books, 2004. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb 2016.

6. Salomon, Carol. "Seeking Bāuls of Bengal." Journal of the American Oriental Society. (2005): 322-326. Academic Search Elite. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

7. Shilling, Andrew. Ed.The Oxford Anthology of Bhakti Literature. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.

8. Slinger, Penny, Bhaskar Bhattacharyya and Nik Douglas. The Path of the Mystic Lover: Baul Songs of Passion and Ecstasy. Rochester: Inner Traditions – Bear & Company, Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. 

9. Spezio, Michael L., James W. Haag and Gregory R. Peterson. Ed.The Routledge Companion to Religion and Science. London: Routledge, 2012. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.

10. Sudha, Ma Yoga. Bauls : The Dancing Mystics. New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books Ltd, 2004. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.

11. -------. Bauls: The Mystics of Celebration. New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books Ltd, 2004. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. 

12. Thielemann, Selina. Sounds of the Sacred: Religious Music in India. New Delhi: APH Publishing, 1998. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. 

13. Thielemann, Selina and Pūrṇadāsa Bāula. Bāul Philosophy. New Delhi: APH Publishing, 2004. Google Books. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.